The Beautiful day
by wickedsugarrush
Summary: On the rare days that Severus Snape has a day off. "Just because he was a bloody bastard didn't mean he couldn't have beautiful days." A slight SS/HG. If you squint...


A.N. Disclaimer. And also this hypothetically takes place during 6th or 7th year. I say hypothetically because most of the seventh book doesn't exist for me. Still it's harmless fun and written on a splurge of inspiration at roughly 2:30 in the morning.

A Beautiful Day

The cool grey sky promised rain in its billowing clouds and light scent.

The grass waved irritably in the sharp wind, faced with the rather boorish prospect of being rained upon once more.

Severus Snape knew that it was going to be a beautiful day.

There weren't many days that were beautiful for the greasy git. He was a bloody bastard and he damn well knew it, but that didn't mean he couldn't have beautiful days.

The days that the damnable dunderheads left his class room for the last time. That is a peacefully beautiful day.

He sits for hours looking at the empty desks and knowing that he won't have to deal with dangerous idiots for at least a few precious months.

One little thing that can make his life that much less...dismal.

Obviously they had to come back- but that wasn't part of the day.

The days in which he knew Dumbledore was out of town on inane business and the Dark Lord was busy sulking. Those were fantastically beautiful.

The days in which he combed his lank hair neatly, put on his best cufflinks and tunic with his most impressive amount of buttons... those were the excitingly beautiful days.

He had just finished fastening his cufflinks when a note flew in from his messenger raven. It cocked its head at him and squawked "Books."

Severus smiled.

_*_*_*_*

It was fascinating. He couldn't put it down, and these days he was hard pressed to keep a book so thoroughly involved with his nose.

He had gone straight away to Hogsmeade where he then apparated to Diagon Alley, right next to Flourish and Blotts. The morning manager was waiting with a cup of coffee and opened the door- despite the 'Closed' sign.

It was early enough that he could have gone to breakfast but... it was just unendingly intriguing.

He couldn't think of how long ago it was- ah... 11 months and 13 days ago.

There were twenty three books that were kept by his bedside table amidst the hundreds that were not uncarefully piled and stacked around his room. This one would be the newest addition.

There were a few points though that he would have liked to discuss.

His brow furrowed. His stomach quite unreasonably complained. He thought it was quite early- he snapped his fingers and sub verbally cast a time detect spell.

A quarter past the 14th hour?

"Hmmm..."

He missed breakfast, lunch and if he dithered any longer he would be missing dinner as well.

Not that he usually cared, but today... he was in search of some intellectual discussion.

He left the book closed and carefully marked with a small bookmarking charm. It would not damage, bend, stick or otherwise molest the book paper in anyway. Not that it really mattered- he had scribbled his annotation all over the text and in the margins. There was that one rather unfortunate accident he had in second year- but he suspected that was the doing of a mean spirited prank gone stupid.

He exited his chambres with a flourish.

*_*_*_*_*_

"Sinistra."

"Oh! Ehm- Snape?"

Severus Snape had smoothly slid into his chair with a silky greeting to the attractive dark featured witch.

She looked a little more than surprised as she almost choked- and did choke- on her cider.

She swallowed visibly and shot him a small smile before turning back to her food.

He continued, utterly unmoved by her small nervous acts. After all- what had she to be nervous about? It wasn't like he was going to seduce her in front of all the ickle firsties and abhorrent children.

He resisted an urge to smirk. Although that one time, a few years back, when she had come to him in his office...

Well- it's not like he was going to seduce her out here.

"I was wondering if you had ever read-"

Her thoughts were so loud she was almost projecting them into his slightly open mind. He was cheating a little bit, but who said it mattered in cases that were as fun as this.

_'Oh hippogriff bollocks- he's read a book again. I have no bloody idea what he goes on about and he just acts all pissed off when I haven't read the book!'_

He continued a mite disappointed and tightly blocked out any thoughts he might receive. So much for intellectual conversation with your peers. "If you had ever read the Seven Theorems... by E.?"

She pouted her mouth, and made a great deal of thinking and she "Hmmed" but in the end Snape almost said the sentence with her. "No, no I don't think I have. Sorry- and I'm not familiar with the subject either."

Severus was not to be daunted. "I see." He moved on. What he had ever seen in her was lost to him at that moment.

Then it came rushing back.

Ah yes. She was in his rooms, and despite her lack of logic, reasoning, organizational skills and anything generally interesting she was pretty.

He moved on.

"Minerva."

Surely Minerva. He was on first name basis with the woman despite the occasional never acknowledged house prank on the other.

Excepting that one time where his hair was red and eyes gold and her skin was silver.

But that was never spoken of.

"Severus? What is it that you want?" She looked at him warily.

He put a few items on his plate as he continued. "Can't I simply greet a colleague as we sit to have dinner?"

Minerva thinned her lips, her Scottish inflection strong when she spoke. "No, not when you are being reasonably friendly at a dinner table you hardly ever come to, much less almost a half hour late, and certainly not when you seem to not be in a... mood."

Severus drew his eyebrows together, if she wanted a mood she would get one. He said irritably "I was just going to ask if you had read The Seven Theorems by E."

Minerva sternly looked at him- "I highly doubt-" She began regally, spearing her potatoes with the utmost poise "That I have read it. I seriously doubt the fact that I would." She placed them in her mouth and apparently that was the end of that discussion.

Severus couldn't think of another- there was Dumbledore... but did he really?

Severus weighed the options as carefully as he weighed the amount of vegetable to meat ratio. Which he had been told was not a thing taken so seriously among others.

"Albus?"

Severus paused and concentrated on shifting those last few peas back into the platter.

The wizened wizard leaned forward so that he could look at Severus.

"Yes, Severus?"

"Have you read E's Seven Theorems?"

Dumbledore just infuriatingly twinkled his eyes at him.

Snape was disgusted. He was severely put out.

He was going back to his book and taking the plate with him.

"Excuse me." He stood up abruptly and swirled out.

*_*_*

He was just debating on whether or not he really should be eating the oily chicken while reading the book when there was a soft knock upon his door.

"Blast it all to the nine hells."

He muttered and placed the dish on a corner of his desk, shut the book resolutely and pushed it in front of him.

"Come in."

It was Hermione Granger and she wasn't looking nervous or in a bad way at all.

Severus looked at her suspiciously. "Miss. Granger, sit."

She came forward with only a worrying of her lip and a slight batting of the eyelashes to let him know she was at least unnerved being in his office.

"Good Evening, sir."

Snape thinned his lips in annoyance. "Miss Granger, if you came to trade niceties please be on your way. I am very busy at the moment."

"Well- sir. I-" She had at first looked properly chided, but then something flashed in her eyes. "Just because you are busy doesn't mean you can simply disregard etiquette. I am fine thank you very much for inquiring; I hope you are also well."

She said it with punctuality and a straightened back, looking him directly in the eye.

She said it with enough grace and art that he was not required to respond, and he was unable to retort in a snarky manner without appearing barbaric.

She continued, her bossy sentiment was plowed away "I was wondering if I could receive a written recommendation from you for my application for internship."

Severus blinked. This was not at all what he expected. He was going to be wary in his statement.

"I do not know which internship you are applying for; therefore it is rather difficult for me to 'commend' you for anything."

Snape thought he said this rather diplomatically but he could tell that she was irritated.

She huffed and discontinued the eye contact, her gaze falling lightly upon the items upon his desk. A quill heavily used, and a book that was rather hastily shut.

A book that she recognized.

A book that was amazing.

A book that her eyes lit up at the sight of.

Severus noticed her raised eyebrows and sudden delight.

She quickly turned back to him "Um..." She said smartly.

Snape raised a smoky eyebrow and remained unaffected.

"I am going into- erm... rather, I am trying for a double major of medipotions and - have you read in the fifth theorem his comment on conjuration from extra planar dimensions?"

Severus was momentarily speechless, although his face was schooled into one of aloof detachment.

He was internally confused and ecstatic, but the complication of his reluctance of conversation towards the bushy haired, doe eyed girl was over ridden by his leap of joy that he could _finally_ talk about his new book.

His voiced hitched "I- I have actually Miss. Granger, and I was interminably fascinated about his theory of extra dimensional space that was continually made and then discarded during conjuration."

Hermione grinned excitedly and leaned forward on her seat. "Then if his creation theory is true leads to the dubious conclusion-"

Severus nodded earnestly, quickly adapting to the train of thought that he had in a passing annotation. Minerva, Sinestra had never been on this level of comprehension. It was refreshing and he continued with her, adding directly into her statement-

"That each time there is a creation and subsequently a collapse-"

She finished smugly "Leaving what accumulates to litter throughout separate planes of existence."

Severus had a wry smile twisting his features. "Which is as you said 'dubious' as it is wasteful. There was a question that was quite intriguing and discernibly plausible. Are you familiar with advanced properties of class four ingredients?"

She nodded vigorously "I do believe I know where you are going- magical versus non magical properties becoming magical with intent and innate ability!"

He nodded and continued. "Subconscious evocation."

The both of them continued their banter and bounce back of ideas, occasionally straying into references to other books for a while not realizing the time that had passed by.

Somehow in a demonstration of abjuration and conjuration mixed with a counter reactive evocation there was tea.

Suddenly Hermione stopped mid sip- "Oh! Goodness. I am so sorry Professor I've taken up all of your time- what time is it anyway?"

Severus Snape set his tea cup down upon the plate, startled that he had so easily lost track of time. Although it was disturbingly easy when he had good literature and intellectual conversation.

The worried looking Gryffindor student sitting in front of him was a slight...hitch- all thoughts of her being his student, part of the atrocious house of Gryffindor, and an insufferable student had simply faded.

"Do not think that you are important enough that I would put aside my important duties to carry on a conversation with you."

Hermione opened her mouth, slack for a moment before she recovered and narrowed her eyes at the Defense against the Dark Arts Professor and Potions Master.

Severus Snape continued, grudgingly- taking her earlier words into account. "My... earlier occupation... was not pressing. I enjoyed our repartee."

Hermione seemed placated by this and set her teacup down upon the very corner of his desk, careful not to get it near the books or papers.

"Thank you, Professor, for your time. I enjoyed it as well. Oh, and I like your cuff links by the way."

She smiled softly and turned to leave, before she reached the door however she paused and turned back once more.

Severus waved his hand- "Yes, yes, Granger, I will consider your commendation. I will have to examine what exactly you are going into before making a commitment. Flattery regarding cuff links will not be taken into consideration."

Hermione parted her mouth into a little 'o' of surprise.

He found it somewhat amusing that it obviously hadn't even crossed her mind and made a shooing motion before she could defend her honor.

She nodded, smiled once more and disappeared behind his office door.

Severus Snape allowed a small smile to lift his face as he leaned back into his black chair picking up the book before retiring to his room.

Yes... he thought, gently and slowly removing his cuff links today was certainly a beautiful day.


End file.
